Cavalllaro - Sherlock Holmes and the Mysteries of the Chess World

Pressure Play by Neil McDonald. Have you ever been tortured at the chessboard? If so, then you have probably been a victim of pressure play.

Elite players are brilliant exponents of pressure play. In situations where they have either a tiny advantage or no advantage at all they are highly adept at constantly setting problems for their unfortunate opponents. The position on the board may appear lifeless but they can probe and find plans and regroupings that will constantly ask their opponents difficult questions. These can be countered only by continual alert and accurate defence and we all know how difficult and wearing that can be.

The arch exponent of pressure play is world champion Magnus Carlsen. Carlsen is superb in this area of the game and consistently defeats world class opposition from simplified positions where he has no advantage whatsoever. How does he do it?

In this book, the highly experienced author and coach Neil McDonald analyses the finest examples of pressure play. In doing so he teases out the fundamental concepts that enable players like Carlsen to torture their opponents mercilessly.

• Paralyse the enemy pieces.

• Target the weakest squares on the board.

• Increase and exploit a space advantage.

Master pressure play and it will be your opponent on the rack, not you.  352 pages

1500 ans d'histoire des jeux d'échecs.

The chess triumphs of the Polgar sisters are legendary. Now, in this very special book, Sofia Polgar tells her own exceptional story: from her development as a prodigy and remarkable tournament successes to her eventually settling down, with chess occupying a lesser role as she raised a family.

Sofia presents many of her games, each with her own brand of fireworks. Clear, straightforward annotations allow the reader to appreciate her accomplishments on the board, while away from the board, her many personal memoirs complete the picture.

There are many photographs, many of which haver never been previously published. They nicely complement the chronicle of both her meteoric rise in the chess world and her loving family who encouraged her at every turn.

What is not generally known is that Sofia Polgar is also a gifted artist – a talented painter. Dozens of examples of her brilliant creativity on canvas are featured throughout this large format book. These paintings are presented in full color and on special matte paper to enhance the reader’s viewing enjoyment. 290 pages